Plasma arc gasification

Plasma arc gasification (PAG), waste-treatmenttechnology that uses a combination of electricity and high temperatures to turn municipal waste (garbage or trash) into usable by-products without combustion (burning). Although the technology is sometimes confused with incinerating or burning trash, plasma gasification does not combust the waste as incinerators do. Instead, it converts the organic waste into a gas that still contains all its chemical and heat energy and converts the inorganic waste into an inert vitrified glass called slag. The process can reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills and generate electricity.

Process

In the PAG process an electrical arc gasifier passes a very high voltage electrical current through two electrodes, creating an arc between them. Inert gas, which is under high pressure, then passes through the electrical arc into a sealed container (called a plasma converter) of waste materials. Temperatures in the arc column can reach more than 14,000 °C (25,000 °F), which is hotter than the surface of the Sun. Exposed to such temperatures, most waste is transformed into gas consisting of basic elements, while complex molecules are torn apart into individual atoms.

The by-products of plasma arc gasification consist of the following:

Syngas, which is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Waste materials, including plastics, contain high amounts of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and the conversion rate of those materials into syngas can exceed 99 percent. Before the syngas can be used for power, it must be cleansed of harmful materials such as hydrogen chloride. Once cleaned, the syngas can be burned like natural gas, with a portion going to power the plasma arc gasification plant and the remainder being sold to utility companies, which also use it primarily for producing electricity.

Slag, which is a solid residue resembling obsidian, can be cleaned of contaminants, including heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium, and processed into bricks and synthetic gravel.

Residual heat, which emanates from the process and can be used to produce steam for electrical generation.

The composition of the waste stream can affect the effectiveness of the gasification procedure. Garbage that is high in inorganic materials, such as metals and construction waste, will yield less syngas, which is the most-valuable by-product, and more slag. For that reason, it may be worthwhile in certain settings to presort the waste stream. If waste can be shredded before it enters the gasification chamber, the efficiency of the PAG is improved.

Economic cost and benefit

PAG appears to offer significant potential for reducing landfill waste and converting garbage into useful products. However, its costs and uncertain environmental impacts have complicated efforts to build PAG facilities. Burying garbage in landfills remains relatively inexpensive compared with using PAG to reduce the solid waste that resides there. (A 2007 study of landfills in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, noted that the cost to municipalities was $35 per ton for waste burial, compared with $170 per ton for PAG processing.)

Small facilities operate in several countries to dispose of hazardous materials such as chemical weapons and incinerator ash. Among the most-notable experimental facilities are the plants at Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City, which processes 3–5 metric tons (3.3–5.5 short tons) of waste per day, and Utashinai, Japan, which processes 150 metric tons (165 short tons) per day. Several large-scale facilities have been proposed in the United States and other countries; however, the development of larger, municipal-level facilities have not progressed past the pilot stage. Even if large-scale facilities are not constructed, advocates say the technology can be particularly cost-effective for handling medical and refinery waste and construction materials, because they command high disposal fees for the operator and produce high levels of heat that can be used to produce electricity.

Environmental concerns

Plasma arc technology has also drawn some questions from environmentalists because of contaminants that could be left in the by-products. They contend that syngas produced, if burned for energy without proper treatment, could emit toxic acids, dioxin, and other pollutants, and the slag could retain high levels of mercury and other hazardous materials that can create challenges for solid-waste disposal. Environmentalists also worry that people may become complacent about municipal recycling and reducing the waste stream if they believe the waste can be recycled.